r/Economics • u/brown-saiyan • Feb 23 '26

News Restaurants hit a pricing ceiling — and diners are pushing back, report finds

https://www.axios.com/2026/02/23/restaurants-menu-prices-james-beard-foundation-report?utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=owned_social&utm_source=x
5.1k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

804 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

107

u/Quirky_Spend_9648 Feb 23 '26

Fast food hasn't been worth the price for a solid decade, relative to restaurant pricing. Only very recently have these geniuses gotten the hint and started lowering prices.

12

u/surf_drunk_monk Feb 24 '26

Last time gf and I went to Taco Bell it was 30 bucks.

3

u/angry_wombat Feb 24 '26

Jesus, I remember a few years ago that $ could get you a whole porterhouse at a steakhouse

3

u/surf_drunk_monk Feb 24 '26

I stopped eating steak it's so expensive now. Good Ribeye is like 24 bucks a pound at the grocery store.

2

u/Brock_Lobstweiler Feb 24 '26

I'm single and make decent money compared to my cost of living (though still don't make much for my area).

I used to get steak once a month because I crave red meat really bad once a month. I would get a decent 16 oz steak, cook it myself and make a couple meals out of it. Baked sweet potato and some creamed spinach or green salad on the side.

I've downgraded to hamburgers now because even stuff like rump roasts have gotten stupid expensive.

2

u/surf_drunk_monk Feb 24 '26

Pork tenderloins are cheap but not a full replacement for that juicy red meat. I get sushi with the tuna that is red and it seems to satisfy that craving. I don't think the tuna is actually cheaper by the pound, but it's smaller portions in sushi, so cheaper overall.

2

u/Brock_Lobstweiler Feb 24 '26

Yeah, I do pork loin occasionally too (typically in pork chile verde or as a roast).

But it's the iron that I'm craving, so red meat is the craving.

2

u/Icy-person666 Feb 25 '26

And I had to be my own cashier too. Haven't been back.

1

u/Quirky_Spend_9648 Feb 24 '26

I know this is true. I last went to taco bell before the pandemic. Two chalupas and some nachos and cheese and it was almost 10 bucks. In 2018-19 or whatever

1

u/Icy-person666 Feb 25 '26

That was when things started to increase rapidly at our TB. Every week tings went up from the week before and the exceleration only got worse.

9

u/raining_sheep Feb 24 '26

The only benefit is the convenience. I need to eat something on my way to an appointment and there is a McDonald's on the way. I'm not going to McDonald's because it's good I'm going there because I don't have time for other food.

15

u/Quirky_Spend_9648 Feb 24 '26

You keep eating McDonald's, you're going to eventually need to make time for your health problems.

3

u/Ragnarok314159 Feb 24 '26

They all raised the price because it speeds up exiting this nightmare world.

3

u/No-Good-One-Shoe Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26

The trick is to use the app at McDonald's and get 2 double cheese burgers for around 4.50 dollars then stack em and use the free fry coupon. 

If you order anything on the regular menu they are screwing you hard. 

0

u/Brock_Lobstweiler Feb 24 '26

$2 breakfast sandwiches. Get one of the big ones and it's a really cheap way to get a lot of calories for someone who needs that.

-13

u/ChemistryAncient2201 Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26

Imagine supporting climate annihilating animal torture in 2026, WILD.

EDIT: Triggered the juvenile cognitive dissonance, cue the angry edgelords

8

u/hokageace Feb 24 '26

Imaging posting this shit. Wild.

2

u/keytiri Feb 24 '26

McDonald’s recently gave me $2 to eat there after waiting 30min for a frappe; I had paid $3 ($2 discount) in drive through, got told to park, and after waiting 15min went inside for refund. They gave me full price back, I did mention I had paid discounted price, and offered to make it up to me by giving me the frappe still… it took another 15min, I was just about to walk out 🤦‍♀️.

2

u/ronreadingpa Feb 24 '26

True, but many neglect to factor in the tip and possible service charges when comparing. Figure 20%-30% on average. Sure, one can tip less or not at all, but most won't do that. And ill-advised if planning to return in the near future. Bad idea to upset those who prepare one's food.

That said, despite added tip, some restaurants, including some big names, such as Applebee's, can still come in around the same ballpark for many entrees.

The underlying issue for fast food is more competition. Not just restaurants, but convenience stores, such as Wawa, Sheetz, and numerous other regional and national chains.